Sprint Corp. has filed another round of lawsuits against cable businesses -- including a Colorado company -- related to its voice over packet (VOP) patents. TPG Global owns three cable companies, which also are listed in the complaint.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sprint Corporation (NYSE:S) announced today that three wholly owned special purpose subsidiaries (the "Issuers") have priced an offering (the "Offering") of $3,937,500,000 wireless spectrum-backed notes consisting of approximately $2.1 billion of Series 2018-1 4.738% Senior Secured Notes, Class A-1 (the "Class A-1 Notes"), and $1.8 billion of Series 2018-1 5.152% Senior Secured Notes, Class A-2 (the "Class A-2 Notes," and, together with the Class A-1 Notes, the "Notes"), in a private transaction that is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"). The Offering is expected to close on March 21, 2018. The Issuers' directly owned subsidiaries have acquired a portfolio of FCC licenses and a small number of third-party leased license agreements (the "Spectrum Portfolio") from subsidiaries of Sprint Communications, Inc., which comprise a portion of Sprint's 2.5GHz and 1.9GHz spectrum holdings, representing approximately 14 percent of Sprint's total spectrum holdings on a MHz-pops basis.

Sprint Corp.’s primary owner may be rekindling efforts to acquire Charter Communications Inc. According to the report, the purchase would lay the foundation for a $100 billion merger between Sprint (NYSE: S) and Charter. The report triggered another wave of merger speculation because SoftBank tried to make a deal with Charter in July but reportedly faced pushback from Charter executives on a buyout.

Telecommunications company Frontier (FTR) reported a net loss of $1.0 billion in 4Q17, but that loss included gains from recent US tax reforms. Based on the revised tax structure, US firms will now be taxed at 21% instead of the previous 35%. The reduction in the tax rate will benefit firms that have invested overseas due to higher tax rates in the US.

The last change in the short interest score occurred more than 1 month ago and implies that there has been little change in sentiment among investors who seek to profit from falling equity prices. Index (PMI) data, output in the Telecommunications Services sector is rising.

AT&T (T) has been investing heavily in capex to acquire additional spectrum for future use as well as improve its network. AT&T spent $5.1 billion on capex in 4Q17 and just above $21.5 billion in 2017 as it continued to focus on integrated wireless and wireline business services. AT&T expects to spend nearly $25.0 billion on capital expenditures in the full-year 2018.

The 5G network has the potential to significantly reduce latency, boost download and upload speeds, as well as improve network reliability. Based on research by Statista, 5G wireless subscriptions could reach 545 million by 2022. In the 5G space, AT&T (T) is competing with wireless service providers such as Verizon (VZ), T-Mobile (TMUS), and Sprint (S).

The 5G network has the potential to provide faster speeds, lower latency, and consistent coverage. Based on research by Statista, the number of 5G wireless subscriptions is forecast to reach 545 million by 2022. In the 5G space, T-Mobile (TMUS) is competing with wireless competitors Sprint (S), Verizon (VZ), and AT&T (T).

AT&T’s (T) international component saw strong growth across its operations. Total revenues were up ~16.0% on a year-over-year (or YoY) basis to reach $2.2 billion in 4Q17 as both its Mexico and Latin America regions showed gains. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization were also up significantly driven by strength in the company’s DIRECTV Latin America operations as well as improvement in Mexico.

Customer retention is majorly affected by changes in a mobile carrier’s network performance. In 4Q17, T-Mobile’s YoY (year-over-year) postpaid phone churn rate looked better at 1.2% than it did at 1.3% in 4Q16. T-Mobile’s management claims that the company continues to have the fastest nationwide 4G LTE (fourth-generation long-term evolution) network in the United States (SPY).

Moody's Investors Service has assigned provisional ratings of (P)Baa2 (sf) to the Series 2018-1 Senior Secured Class A-1 and Class A-2 notes (the 2018-1 Class A notes, or the notes) to be issued jointly ...

The greatest problem that Sprint (S), the fourth-largest wireless service provider in the US, currently faces is to build its brand and value proposition, as well as to improve consumer perception. Sprint is optimizing and expanding its retail distribution to lower the average cost per transaction, increase its brand presence, and better serve its customers.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., March 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sprint Corporation (NYSE:S) announced today that three wholly owned special purpose subsidiaries (the "Issuers") have commenced an offer (the "Offering") of up to $3,937,500,000 of wireless spectrum-backed notes in two tranches, each with a different anticipated repayment date (the "Notes") in a private transaction that is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act"). The Issuers' directly owned subsidiaries have acquired a portfolio of FCC licenses and a small number of third-party leased license agreements (the "Spectrum Portfolio") from subsidiaries of Sprint Communications, Inc., which comprise a portion of Sprint's 2.5GHz and 1.9GHz spectrum holdings, representing approximately 14 percent of Sprint's total spectrum holdings on a MHz-pops basis.